Cartons with tear openers



R. GUYER CARTONS WITH TEAR OPENERS Jan. 13, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June l1, 1955 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,863,432A vcARroNs WITH TEAR oPENERs Reynolds Guyer, White Bear Lake, Minn., assignor to Waldorf Paper Products Company, Ramsey County, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application .lune 11, 1956, Serial No. 590,562

6 Claims. (Cl. 229-51) This invention relates to an improvement in cartons with tear openers and deals particularly with a simple and effective means for opening a tubular carton so that Ithe contents may be removed.

Numerous devices have been provided for quick opening of cartons and the like. Many such cartons involved complicated structures which are difficult to produce and which must be sealed on special types of equipment. The present invention lies in the provision of a tubular carton which may be easily constructed and which requires no special apparatus during the filling and sealing operation.

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a glued end tubular carton having tubularly arranged side walls and closing flaps hingedly secured to the ends of these side walls. One of these closing flaps is substantially longer than the other and is longer than the width of the closed end carton. This extended portion of the glue flap is separated from the body portion of the flap by a weakened line of separation. In the closing operation of the carton, this longer flap is first folded while the opposite flap is 'in substantially vertical position. As `a` result, the extended `end of the first folded iap bears against the opposite flap and is bent upwardly thereby to lie along side of the vertical flap. When the second or opposite flap is folded to over-lie the first, this extended end is folded down betweenthe first folded flap and the last folded flap and is adhered thereto. This forms a flap portion of double thickness which may be grasped and pulled upwardly so as to tear the top of the carton open.

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a reversely folded reinforcing portion on the first folded `wide fiap of the carton and in providing a notch or recess in the lalstfolded flap to permit the fingers to grasp the double thickness portion. By grasping the end of the double thickness portion of the uppermost flap and pulling the same upwardly, these portions of the flap may be torn away from the carton to permit the top to be opened.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a carton having a double thickness portion in the last closed flap, which is formed by adhering a folded portion of the first folded ap to the under surface of the last folded flap. By the specific arrangement disclosed, the double thickness flap portion can be formed without a special gluing operation and on regular gluing and sealing equipment.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of my specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sealed carton showing the relationship of parts therein.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l with a portion of the top closure of the carton removed.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the carton after th 'ICC first pair of opposed aps have been folded inwardly and prior to the folding of the last folded flaps.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing a later stage in the carton closing condition.

Figure 5 is a sectional view through the top closure showing the relationship of parts in the sealed closure.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the carton is formed.

The carton when formed and sealed, appears as best indicated in Figure 1 of the drawings. However, in order to properly understand the construction of the carton, reference is made to the blank shown in Figure 6.

The carton is indicated in general by the letter A and it includes a panel 10, and end panel 11, a wall panel 12, and an end panel 13 which are foldably connected along parallel fold lines 14, 15 and 16. A glue flap 17 is foldably connected to an end panel of the series, such as to the panel 10 by a fold line 19.

The blank is divided by fold lines defining the top and bottom edges of the panels previously described, these fold lines being designated by the numerals 20 and 21. The fold line 2l) connects the panels 1I), 11, 12 and 13 to closing flaps 22, 23, 24 and 25 respectively. The fold line 21 connects these same wall panels with bottom closing flaps 26, 27, 29 and 3l). This structure is a common practice insofar as the structure defined to this time is concerned.

The flap 24 is provided with an extended portion 31 which is foldably connected to the free end of the panel along a weakened line of separation 32 which is parallel to the fold line 20. This weakened line of separation in the particular form of construction illustrated, com- `bottom flap 29 is shorter than the remaining flaps.

In the particular arrangement illustrated, this notch 33` is formed by a cut line 34 which extends parallel to the fold line 20 and is` spaced therefrom a distance substantially equal to the length of the extended portion 31.

The inner end of the straight -cut line 34 is connected by a curved cut line 35 to the edge of the flap 22.

In order to function most eectively, the grain of the paperboard, if such grain exists, is usually arranged to extend longitudinally of the carton blank. With this arrangement, the closure is torn longitudinally of the grain of the paper when the carton is opened.

In the formation of the carton, the blank shown in Figure 6 is first folded as for example along the fold lines 14 and 16 so that the glue flap 17 overlaps the panel 13 and is adhered thereto. The carton blank is then in fiat glued tubular condition.

When it is desired to close the carton, usually the flaps at the lower end of the carton are first sealed. Normally, the opposed flaps 27 and 3l) are first folded into right angular relation to the end walls of the carton and over-lying the end of the carton. The flaps 26 and 29 are then folded into overlapping relation and sealed to the first closed flaps 27 and 30. When one end of the carton has been sealed, the carton is lled in any desired type of equipment.

In sealing the upper end of the carton, the flaps 23 and 25 are first folded down to over-lie the upper end of the carton, these aps assuming the position indicated in Figure 3 of the drawings. The flap 24 is nextfoldedL down to over-lie the rst folded flaps 23 and 25. In View of the fact that the ilap 24 is approximately the width of the top of the car-ton and the extended portion 31 would normally extend beyond the top of the carton, this extended portion 31 normally engages against .the inner surface'of the hap 22 as the flap 24 is folded` into closed position. Usually, no adhesive is applied between the yilap 24 and earlier folded' flaps 23 and 25, although.

flap 22 is folded down, the end of the flap adheres to the upper surface of the iiap 24. The other edge of the flap 22 seals in surface contact with the extended portion' 31. Accordingly, when the package is sealed, the extended portion 31 forms a reinforcement for a portion of the flap 22 and this reinforced portion is of double thickness.

When it is desired to open the sealed carton shown in.

Figure 1, the thumb or finger is inserted in the notch 33 and beneath the double thickness portion of the flap 22. In other words, a portion of the flap 22,

which is adhered to the extended portion 31, is grasped.'

between the thumb and fingers and is pulled upwardly. This action causes the paperboard to tear along the fold line 29 and also longitudinally of the flap 22.. The eX- tended portion 31 forms a tear' strip whichfolds through the upper layer of theflap 22 and accordingly a strip of paperboard of double thickness is torn away from the top' of the carton.

After the strip has been torn from the package closure, the remainder of the flap 22 may be folded upwardly with the ilap 24 and the flaps 23 and 25 may befolded upwardly so as to expose the carton contents. This. type of package .opening means is usually implied where no reclosing feature is desired or necessary.

vIn accordance with the patent statutes, I have de- ,scribed the principles of construction and operation of my carton .with tear strip opener and While vI have endeavoredto set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Iclaim:

1. An opening means for' a tubular carton, the carton including. rectangularly arranged v side. walls, andclosing flaps hingedly secured to an end of said wall panels, one of said aps having a body portion of a size substantially equal to the size of the carton end, and having an extended portion hingedly secured to the end thereof along a weakened line of separation, said extended portion being folded in surface contact with the ilap to which iti issecured and toover-lie the same, the opposed flap over-lying the extended portion and the flap to which it issecured and being adhered in surface contact thereto, whereby said extended portion may be grasped and pulled through ap, carrying with it the portion of said opposed flapto which it is secured.

2. The construction described in claim 1 and including a short cut line in said opposed ap, substantially alined with the edge of the extended portion in sealed co-ndition of the carton. y

3. The construction described in claim 1 and including a notch in an end edge of said opposed flap, said notch having aside substantially. in registry with the endedgc of said extended portion.

4. A carton embodying anopening means and including a' readily separable weakened line of connection, said extendedportion being folded to over-lie the surface of the. thirdflap, the -fourth ap being in opposed relation tothe` third ap and being-folded to over-lie saidf extended' portion and said third llap and adhered thereto to the .remainder of the third flap, whereby said extended" portion may bepulledvthrough the fourth flap, tearing' therefromV the portion of said fourth flap adhered tosaid' extended portion.

5.v The construction described `inl claim4- and including,

ay short cut linel in said fourth ap substantially' coinciding with theend edge of said extension.

6. The construction described in claim 4 and including-f a notch in the end edge of said third flap, said notch having an edge substantially coinciding with the end" edge of said extension.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,992,195 Daller Feb. 2:6, 1935i 2,336,088 Goodyear et al. Dec'. 7, 1943 2,403,047 Buttery July 2', 1946,' 

